Nordstrom, Maison Margiela Latest Brands Caught Up in Public’s Fascination With Luigi Mangione
Nordstrom and Maison Margiela are the latest fashion brands caught in the Luigi Mangione headlines. The man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson prompted an unexpected surge in interest for both brands after appearing in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday.
Mangione, who faces 11 counts in New York, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, attended his court hearing wearing a white-collared shirt, a burgundy sweater and orange sneakers. Shortly after, a debate about the origins of Mangione’s sweater flooded social media.
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At first, videos on TikTok identified Mangione’s crewneck top as Maison Margiela’s burgundy washed lambswool sweater, which was available for sale at $1,000 on ssense.com — the piece is now sold out.
Search interest for the brand and “Maison Margiela burgundy sweater” received a boost online following Mangione’s court appearance, according to Google Trends. The luxury brand was also trending on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Threads.
Later, other users noted that Mangione’s top didn’t feature the same stitching pattern as Margiela’s sweater and determined he was wearing the “washable Merino crewneck sweater” from Nordstrom. The style is available for $62.65 in six other colors. However, the burgundy color that matched Mangione’s outfit is now sold out. Representatives for Nordstrom and Maison Margiela did not return requests for comments ahead of publishing.
Luigi Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., following a five-day manhunt. Levi’s, Peak Design, Tommy Hilfiger and Monopoly were previously referenced in news stories and social media posts about the case, with Peak Design’s CEO Peter Dering facing social media backlash and threats after he informed The New York Times that he had contacted the New York Police Department’s tip line. Dering got involved with the case after several people had texted him that the shooter appeared to be wearing a Peak Design backpack in surveillance images.
“What we see with Mangione is he has quickly become a folk hero and a fashion folk hero. It’s almost like the movie ‘The Joker,’ where people dressed like him,” Diana Rickard, a criminal justice professor at the City University of New York, previously told WWD about Mangione’s online popularity.
Mangione pled not guilty to all his charges. The next court date is set for Feb. 21.
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